PIG FARMER turned TV presenter, Jimmy Doherty has revealed why he think’s his home county is one of the best yet overlooked places to visit.
Having lived in Suffolk for over 20 years, Jimmy gets to show it off in his show Jimmy and Shivi’s Farmhouse Breakfast as it returns to ITV tomorrow.
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Talking to Sun Travel about the second series – which he co-hosts with Shivi Ramoutar – Jimmy said: “It’s a great celebration of everything that is lovely about Suffolk and the surrounding areas.
“We have everything from local crafts, to Morris dancing, flower arranging and we’re in the countryside. So it’s lovely.”
Suffolk is often named the jewel of the UK with award-winning restaurants and fish and chip shops to beautiful coastlines and huge music festivals.
Along with living in the county for decades, it’s also where Jimmy and his wife started their business, as well as held their wedding reception.
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Suffolk is also where they opened Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park in Wherstead, Ipswich.
So it’s safe to say that Jimmy really knows his stuff when it comes to Suffolk.
He told us: “When people ask me about East Anglia, I tell them that they don’t understand how amazing it is.
“We get the most sunshine, we’ve got a wonderful coastline, nature reserves, beaches like Hunstanton. It’s the untapped secret of the country.”
Jimmy continued: “Not that I’m saying there’s anything wrong with the rest of the country, but I think our part of the world is overlooked.”
As for exactly where to put on your must-visit places in Suffolk, Jimmy has some great recommendations.
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Jimmy said: “If you go down to the little cafes that adorn the coastline in Aldeburgh, you can have a Noon Tart which is a lovely smoked fish tart.
“In Aldeburgh is also one of my favourite restaurants, called The Suffolk.
“One of my other favourite places to go is The Unruly Pig which is just outside of Woodbridge – it’s the best gastro pub in the country.”
The Unruly Pig not only gets high praise from Jimmy, but it has won awards too. The pub won the UK Top 50 Gastropubs Awards in 2022, 2024 and 2025.
The Unruly Pig was also honoured in the Good Food Guide for Top 50 Best Sunday Roast, and the list of Best Sunday Roasts in the UK 2024 in The Times.
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Jimmy added: “Then you’ve got the Aldeburgh food festival, you’ve got Latitude music festival – there’s so much going on there.
“And over in Bury St Edmunds there’s The Nutshell which is the smallest pub in the country.”
Moving over to the coast, Jimmy loves the seaside town of Southwold, which is also home to the Adnams brewery.
He explained: “They’ve got a great distillery. You can go there and make your own gin. I rocked up with a group of 10 of us and we made our own.
“You pour the vodka in and then start to distil it and add in your botanicals.
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He continued: “Gin is basically vodka with botanicals, and when you make it, you put far too many in and its undrinkable.”
In Southwold, you can take a brewery tour with tickets from £27.50. You can make your own gin and take your 70cl bottle home with you with tickets at £105.
As the show returns, Jimmy and Shivi make sure to showcase everything Suffolk has to offer.
Jimmy added: “Shivi goes off to Emmett’s Smokehouse to try Suffolk black ham, which is an amazing product that has been around for generations.”
“The show will set you up for a Saturday morning, we’ve got great guests, great food, fun things to do, and lots of animals.
“It’s full of happiness and fun and laughter, it’s not your normal chat show. we need to start the weekend with a smile on our faces, and the series definitely does that.”
Watch Jimmy and Shivi’s Farmhouse Breakfast at 8.25am on April 19, ITV1.
This English Seaside Village Has One Of The Best Beaches
An English village often overlooked by its nearby nosy neighbour now has one of the best beaches in the country.
Located on the Suffolk Coast, Walberswick Beach was named one of the UK’s best beaches by Conde Nast Traveller.
The self-proclaimed crabbing hotspot was ranked the fourth best beach in the country by the travel experts.
They wrote: “On the south side of the River Blyth’s mouth, Walberswick’s long, grassy dune-backed beach is much quieter and wilder-feeling than neighbouring Southwold across the river.”
Set across the River Blyth from Southwold, Walberswick Beach is a mixture of sand and stone.
To access the beach, visitors will need to cross the harbour bridge before walking across the sand dunes, which are backed by colourful beach huts.
Previous visitors have described Walberswick Beach as being quieter compared to neighbouring Southwold Beach.
Because it is rather secluded, the beach is popular with birdwatchers and beach-goers who enjoy crabbing.
This is because the beach backs onto Walberswick Nature Reserve, which is home to some of the UK’s finest remaining heathlands.
Holidaymakers have praised Walberswick Beach on TripAdvisor where it has a 4/5 star rating.
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